H.S. girls volleyball: Katherine Haines sparks Ridgefield Park

The talented junior middle got it going in the second set, continued it into the third set, and that was more than enough to help the Scarlets recover from a lousy first set.

Each of Haines’ 19 kills lifted Ridgefield Park’s spirit and confidence, and it translated into a 13-25, 25-6, 25-14 victory over Garfield in Tuesday’s Group 2 volleyball opener.

"We were very nervous coming into the state game," Haines said, "especially since it was supposed to be a home game, and we had it [in Garfield]."

Seeded eighth, Ridgefield Park lost the chance to host No. 25 Garfield because Hurricane Sandy knocked out power at the school, and it had yet to be restored as of noon Tuesday. Electricity or not, Ridgefield Park reopens today.

"I said to them, ‘No excuses, because the whole state had to go through what we went through,’ " said Ridgefield Park coach Kim Van Saders, alluding to high school sports’ one-week delay caused by the storm. "So we just had to go out and play."

When Haines is collecting kills, Ridgefield Park (15-9) plays much better. She had only three kills in the first set. She had seven in the second set, and the right-hander added nine in the third, securing the win by turning an errant set into a left-handed kill.

"Katherine is the type of girl who when everything is jelling, including the other five players on the court, she plays so much better," Van Saders said. "And in the second game, she was upset and bothered by the fact that we lost that first game."

Haines and junior setter Irene Kontogiannis found a rhythm in the second set, and Kontogiannis finished with 20 assists. Senior middle Natalie Gomez served well, collecting 16 service points, including eight straight in the third set to extend the lead to 24-10.

Garfield senior middle Ariana Gomez started strong and finished with 16 kills, three blocks and five aces. She had seven kills in the first set and sealed the opener by serving four consecutive aces with a hard, line-drive serve.

"We came out firing," said Garfield coach Jason Jones, whose school reopened Tuesday. "And when Katherine started hitting the ball, that was the game. We stopped her in Game 1, and in Game 2 and 3 she just came alive."